Lucedale — Terry’s R.J. Hall accounted for six touchdowns Friday night as the Bulldogs kicked George County out of the Class 6A South State playoffs 31-29 at Gill-Martin Stadium.
The senior wide receiver/defensive back had touchdown receptions of 56 and 8 yards as well as a 1-yard run but it was on special teams and defense that he had his greatest impact. He had a kickoff return of 84 yards in the first half to give the Bulldogs a 14-10 lead and a pick 6 of 34 yards in the 3rd quarter that gave Terry a 35-17 lead in the 3rd quarter. The Rebels closed to 35-32 with 3:54 remaining in the game when Hall sealed the deal with a 99-yard kickoff return to give the Bulldogs a 41-32 lead.
George County closed to 41-39 but Terry recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock. Ashton Fair added 95 yards on the ground and tossed the 2 TD passes to Hall.
Layton Fryfogle gave the Rebels their first lead of the night with a 26-yard FG to open the scoring and Brenn Moody’s 20-yard TD reception from Deuce Knight made it 10-7 before Halls’ first kickoff return of the night gave the Bulldogs a lead they would not relinquish.
Knight completed 20 of 42 attempts for 283 yards with 3 touchdowns and two interceptions while also rushing for 83 yards and 1 score. Montrell Dortch had 7 catches for 122 yards and a TD while Marlin Odom added 75 yards on 6 catches. Jacobe Street added a 2-yard touchdown but was limited to just 37 yards on 14 carries. TJ Love added a fumble recovery for the Rebels who end the year 8-4 while Terry improves to 7-4 and travels to take on West Jones next week.
Pass Christian 27, Quitman 7
Pass Christian advanced to the third round of the state football playoffs for the first time in school history Friday night with the big 20-point win road win over the Panthers in the second round of the Class 4A South State playoffs.
Terry Patton and Jacquez Alexander Dedeaux each scored two touchdowns apiece for the Pirates, and Pass Christian never trailed in the contest after taking a 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the game.
It marked just the third-ever playoff win in history for PCHS on the football field. The Pirates had only been in the second round one time, back in 2019 after registering their first-ever playoff win.
Pass Christian now gets to come back home to McDonald Stadium and host the next round as the Pirates take on perennial state power Columbia in the Class 4A South State semifinals. Pass Christians stands an impressive 9-2 on the year under first-year head coach Jeff Stockstill, while the Wildcats come into next week at a perfect 12-0 after a 49-20 win over Greene County Friday night.
Brookhaven 55, Vancleave 7
Visiting Vancleave got off to a good start on the road in the opening round of the Class 5A South State playoffs Friday night taking a quick 7-0 lead over the Panthers less than five minutes into the game.
It was the 55 unanswered points that the Bulldogs gave up after that, however, that proved to be their undoing.
Brookhaven stormed back and flooded Vancleave with eight consecutive touchdowns over the remainder of the contest to end the game as well as Vancleave’s season with a commanding win. The Panthers move on to face Laurel next week in second-round play, while VHS ends the season with a losing record at 4-7.
Vancleave quarterback Hunter Parker scored that lone touchdown for VHS, which was hoping for some opening-round state playoff magic for the second consecutive season after the Bulldogs went on the road last year and shocked Hattiesburg.
Oak Grove 55, Biloxi 14
Oak Grove standout senior quarterback Anthony Maddox threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more all in the first half alone as the Warriors ended the Indian’s season with an impressive win Friday night.
Oak Grove moves to 10-1 with the win, while Biloxi ends the season at an even 6-6. The Warriors will host Meridian next week.
The loss was the third straight loss in the opening round of the state playoffs by Biloxi at the hands of Oak Grove over the past four seasons. The Indians have now lost six straight times in the first round of the postseason in the past 11 years, and BHS hasn’t won a state playoff game since 2011.
Brandon 41, Harrison Central 13
The homestanding Bulldogs bounced the Rede Rebels from the Class 7A South state playoffs with a comfortable win Friday night.
Harrison Central finishes the season at 6-5 overall, but the Red Rebels dropped four of their final five games of the season.
Harrison Central quarterback Tri Gaughf ran for one touchdown and also Gaughf found Jayden Cooper on a 37 yard scoring strike early in the second quarter that actually tied the game up at 13-13 at that point.
But Brandon bounced back with 28 unanswered points to close out the contest over the next three frames and seal the win.
West Jones 48, Hancock 20
A once-promising season for the Hawks ended with a sudden thud Friday night on the road in Soso against the homestanding Mustangs in the opening round of the Class 6A South State playoffs.
Hancock began the season at 7-0, but the Hawks followed that up by losing four out of their final five games to finish up at 8-4 overall.
West Jones hosts Terry next week.
Poplarville 45, Forrest County AHS 15
The homesteading Hornets moved to an impressive 9-3 overall by dispatching the Aggies with ease in the second round of the Class 4A South State playoffs Friday night. Freshman Ty Keys scored four touchdowns to pave the way for Poplarville to the win.
The result puts Poplarville into the third round of the Class 4A state playoffs for the eighth consecutive season. The Hornets will travel to Monticello to take on Lawrence County next week.
